By Betsy Scheinbart
Five children ranging in age from 11 to 14 plunged through the thin ice covering Baisley Pond in South Jamaica at 4:50 p.m. Monday and were rescued by officers from the Emergency Service Unit and the 113th Precinct, police said.
The children were pulled onto an orange harbor patrol raft within 10 minutes after a call was placed to 911, according to Harbor Patrol Captains Kellerher and Wargo. Ropes, ladders, and other flotation devices were also used during the dramatic rescue.
Emergency Services Unit Officer William Fisher said he saw the children about 150 or 200 feet off the shore submerged in the water up to their necks and struggling to keep their heads above the water.
Two children were placed in the raft by ESU officers, and the other three were pulled out by NYPD officers, said Officer Guy Braun, a police spokesman.
Andrea Nichols, 13, Petagaye Reed, 11, Margarete Mbutu, 14, Joanna Morales, 12, and her brother, Raphael Morales, 11, all from Jamaica, were rushed to Jamaica Hospital where they were listed in stable condition upon arrival despite their hypothermic state, said Ole Pedersen, the vice president of public affairs for the hospital.
“I thought I was going to lose my life,” Raphael Morales said from his hospital bed.
The children's temperatures had dropped into the low 90s, but with warm IV fluids and blankets, their temperatures were restored to normal levels and the children were able to go home later Tuesday night, Pedersen said.
“It was a happy ending,” Pedersen said, “and hopefully those kids will never walk on ice again.”
From her hospital bed, young Nichols recounted the terror of calling for help from the icy water. “We won't do this again,” she promised.
The hospital also treated a fireman who fell through the ice during the rescue. He had some exposure to the cold water but did not display the signs of hypothermia that the children had, so he was soon released, Pedersen said.
Emergency Service Unit officers also plunged into the icy water, as the hole grew larger during the rescue effort, but those officers were protected from the elements by special cold water survival suits, Braun said.
The emergency rescuers resembled scuba divers with what appeared to be air tanks on their backs and they slithered across the ice on their stomachs, spreading out their body weight in an attempt to avoid falling in.
The scene of the rescue was dotted with police cars, emergency vehicles, and fire trucks, blocking traffic from the area.
Reach reporter Betsy Scheinbart by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 154.
